Generation X (b. 1965-1982) and Millennials (b. 1983-2000) are screaming “bloody murder” against Baby Boomers (b. 1946-1964) for monopolizing elective and appointed offices, hogging business and governmental decision-making, and controlling the development of public policy. On the other hand, treating their power like personal property, Boomers are excoriating younger adults for not voting, for self-indulgence and for continued occupancy of their childhood bedrooms.

Not surprisingly, all of those attitudes are impeding progress in our democratic processes and compromising America’s future at the local, state and national levels.

Much like their predecessors — the so-called Greatest Generation — Boomers are committing two civic sins: First, they cling to officialdom, in the apparent belief that they have exclusive expertise in policy matters and premium perspectives on problem-solving. Even as waves of progress immerse them in technical and relational obsolescence, they ignore the fact that life experiences can be both bounty and baggage. They forget that time is not a vacuum; it is always accompanied by change.

Second, they fail — and often refuse — to mentor, to orientate, to pass along the secrets and nuances of leadership and control to future generations. Life can be long, but it ends. And when it does, the survival of the universe requires replacements — new leaves, new crops, new babies, new leaders. Unlike leaves and crops, babies and leaders are not facilitated by a natural order that ordains their development and limits their horizons. Boomers are obliged to mentor Gen-Xers and Millennials, to replace (not duplicate) themselves, and in the words of our revered Constitution, to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.”

We cannot deny the advantages of seniority. A mature mind — the original GPS — knows where the bones are buried and understands that a cold is not pneumonia. Boomers are valuable repositories of wisdom and understanding, but they need to declare dividends for younger generations, or at least encourage them to make withdrawals.

On the other hand, Gen-Xers and Millennials will never take their rightful places as agents of our posterity if their activism is limited to grousing about septuagenarian control, engaging in mass marches and posting/tweeting their grievances worldwide.

They must be willing to present themselves for office, and in so doing, to tout their ability, expose their vulnerability and assume the risk of failure. They must suppress their technologically-influenced expectation of instancy and accept the truth that, in a democratic society, process can be as important as outcome.

Gen-Xers and Millennials see the world through a prism that glows with newly-minted colors. Unaffected by the cataracts of intransigence and stagnation, younger generations are entitled to sculpt and implement their vision, since they are the ones who will live it. They will stumble and make mistakes, just like Boomers have done, but as James Joyce reminds us: “Mistakes are the portals of discovery.” In that regard, Gen-Xers and Millennials will find, just as Boomers did, that progress and justice often lie at the end of a serendipitous trail, that a sliver of masking tape on a door lock at the Watergate can ultimately reveal a colossal scheme of political revenge and retaliation.

As we approach a season of mid-term national elections and a flurry of state and local campaigns, Boomers should seriously consider stepping aside, and younger generations should seriously consider stepping up.

Especially on the hallowed ground we occupy in Montgomery, mature wisdom and youthful enthusiasm have proven to be critical coordinates in affecting cataclysmic change.

Sixty-two years ago, a successful, world-renowned crusade to change accustomed conduct and its philosophical underpinnings was not led by gray-haired veterans of advocacy and struggle. Instead, the leader was 26 years old. He was new to the city, the state and the civic environment, and he was a new proponent of non-violent resistance. And yet, capitalizing on a fresh approach to overcoming lingering oppression, he mobilized the masses and shepherded a new order all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Today, we must use that valuable lesson to diversify our corps of official leaders and elected officials. Boomers, find and train protegés; acknowledge the currency of their ideas. Then, move over and let them lead.

Vanzetta Penn McPherson is a retired U.S. magistrate judge for the Middle District of Alabama. Send email to mcphersonscribe@knology.net.

Editor's note: This column has been updated to correct an error in the birth years listed for the Millennial generation.